It's 30th June and One of the Best All Rounders of All Time is Celebrating his Birthday – Sanath Jayasuriya. His batting style was much ahead of his era. Much before the advent of T20, the current shortest format was introduced to Cricket, he revolutionized the ODI Cricket with his explosive batting right from the 90’s decade. Famous for his powerful striking, he was a terrific spinner too. Apart from his all-round performances, he has led Sri Lanka for 156 International Matches and Won the Champions Trophy in 2002 (Along with India), and also took them to the Semi-Final of the ICC World Cup 2003.
In a career spreading over 2 decades, he has created a series of records to his name. Though most of his records are broken by now, still its note worthy that it took special efforts from really special players to break them. Among the list of his never-ending records, let us have a look at 5 of his jaw-dropping records
1. Fastest Century:
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Jayasuriya was just unstoppable right from the first series following their World Cup 1996 victory where he won the Player of the Tournament Award. In the very first match of the Singer Cup, he smashed the then fastest century in 48 balls breaking Azharuddin's 8 years old record (62 Balls) which ensured a 34 runs victory for Sri Lanka.
2. Fastest Half-Century:
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In the final of the same Tri-Series, 5 days later, he broke yet another record by scoring the fastest half-century in just 17 deliveries, a record that took 19 years to break by another legend AB De Villiers. Though SL lost the final by a decent 43 runs, his dominance can be gauged by the fact the opening stand was broken on 70 when his partner Romesh Kaluwitharana was dismissed on a DUCK, meaning all contribution came single-handedly from Jayasuriya's bat.
3. Most Runs by a Skipper:
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Almost 10 years before Sachin Tendulkar finally got a double-century in an ODI, Sanath Jayasuriya was all set to reach the milestone but unfortunately fell short. In the Coca-Cola Champions Trophy 2000 (Tri-Series featuring India, SL, and Zimbabwe) Final, he scored a thumping 189 in just 161 Balls, falling just 5 runs short of the then highest individual score of 194 (by Saeed Anwar). India had used 8 different bowlers, but none could stop him. His innings was more special because, out of the 17 batsmen that batted from the either inning, just 3 could score in double-digits. As a result, SL won the game by a massive 245 runs.
4. Fastest Daddy Hundred:
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Yes, he captured this record too. Just a day after turning 37, he made the mockery of the target of 322 set by England in the final ODI of the Natwest Series, by getting 150 in just 95 balls and chased the target with 75 balls to spare. Upul Tharanga, his opening partner too scored a century. SL was able to complete a 5-0 whitewash over England and Sanath not only won the Player of the Match but also won the Player of the Series for his 322 runs and 5 wickets in the series.
5. 300 International Sixes:
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In the 3rd and the final ODI of the Afro-Asia Cup 2006, though he could only score 13 runs but that included 2 sixes, the first of which was his 300th International Six. He is the first Batman in the History of the Game to reach this milestone. He ended his career with 352 Sixes.
Fun Facts:
1. His ODI career span of 21 Years and 184 Days was the second longest after Sachin Tendulkar’s 22 Years 91 Days.
2. He won the Player of Match Award 58 times across formats, again just second to Sachin Tendulkar's 76.
3. He won the Player of the Series/Tournament award 13 times across formats.
4. He also holds the record of most ducks in ODIs with 34 ducks. He has 53 ducks across formats, 3rd highest after Muralitharan (59) and Walsh (54).
5. He has formed the highest partnership for the 2nd wicket with Roshan Mahanama of 576 runs in a Test.
6. He is among the 3 players to achieve the milestone of 300+ International Sixes and 2000+ International Boundaries along with Chris Gayle and AB De Villiers.
7. Sanath Jayasuriya was the highest scorer and the Player of the Match for the highest team totals of Sri Lanka in all 3 Formats: Test: 952 (340), ODI: 443 (157), and T20I: 260 (88). Interestingly, all 3 of them were records at that time (Their test team total is still a record) and Sri Lanka could never score higher than these totals.
The Current Situation:
In total contrast to the Legacy of Jayasuriya, Sri Lanka’s current opening doesn't even give a modest start, let alone matching his strike rate. In the recently concluded T20I series against England, the opening partnerships lasted 4,3 & 6 Runs respectively and just once an opener could score in double-digits. This was one of the main reasons for their 3-0 Loss to England. A result which the Sri Lankan Master Blaster Termed as the Very Sad Day for Sri Lankan Cricket and demanded immediate measures for this Critical Situation.
Wishing a Very Happy Birthday to Sanath Jayasuriya. We could only wish Sri Lanka finds a player as good as him in their colours in the near future.
